Business was quiet, but a busy quiet. No mobs swarmed upon the store. Instead, customers were patient, orderly. Traffic was never overwhelming, but in the final analysis sales were solid, better than I anticipated. As with every Christmas Eve traffic fell off in the afternoon as people left to travel, to wrap, to cook–the pauseContinue reading “Christmas Eve”
Category Archives: Work
Going into the Weekend
The fates weren’t willing. The creek did rise. I worked on Thursday. My supervisor called me yesterday afternoon. Earlier in the week he announced that managers should take this coming Monday off. Now his supervisor wanted managers to work six days next week, taking only Christmas Day off. Half a day on Monday would beContinue reading “Going into the Weekend”
In Search of Hobbies
I’m thinking of building a trebuchet. I loved playing Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings and pulling out the trebuchet, usually four or five trebuchets, in the Imperial Age and razing cities to the ground from long distances. I loved seeing the trebuchet deployed in the defense of Minas Tirith in The ReturnContinue reading “In Search of Hobbies”
The State of Things
I passed out last night about eight. In my clothes. Which my cat bled all over. I still feel sleepy. Tired. Worn out. I’ve been fiercely hungry and then can’t eat. I could use a nap. I’ve been completely random. I’ve veered from one emotional extreme to the other, all in the span of aContinue reading “The State of Things”
They Say It's Christmas….
It doesn’t feel like Christmas. The weather is too nice. This week Raleigh has seen temperatures in the seventies, except for yesterday which was rainy, foggy, and blue. How can one think of Christmas in conditions like that? The muzak at the store still isn’t playing Christmas music. How can shoppers be in the ChristmasContinue reading “They Say It's Christmas….”
Twiddling Thumbs
I’ve been waiting for a customer. A week ago the phone rang. “My Halo 2 doesn’t work,” the customer said. “What’s the problem?” I asked. “I bought the PlayStation2 version by mistake. It doesn’t play in my XBox.” Halo 2 on the PlayStation2? What planet was this guy on? “Are you sure it’s Halo 2?”Continue reading “Twiddling Thumbs”
And it’s Friday, so…?
Looking through the archives I remembered every Christmas is like this. Too much to do, too little time and too little staff to accomplish it. The body forgets. It’s the triumphs of the season–the happy kids, the satisfied parents–that stick in memory, not the bleak moments. And sometimes I wonder how I made it throughContinue reading “And it’s Friday, so…?”
Another Day Gone
My supervisor called. He wanted to know how I was doing, how I was holding up. Not in the business sense. In the personal sense. I had a headache. Not a dull buzz, not quite an all-encompassing migraine. Just a sharp pain. I was tired. Sleep has been odd, and fleeting. I need an occasionalContinue reading “Another Day Gone”
Things That Make You Go "Hunh?"
Try this one on. Roll it around the mind for a moment. A customer calls. He’s having a problem with his GameCube, specificially with the power supply. It’s burned out, and he wants a replacement. We don’t sell replacement power supplies. The only place I know to get them is direct from Nintendo. I recommendContinue reading “Things That Make You Go "Hunh?"”
And So It Begins…
The day after Thanksgiving. They call it Black Friday. Christmas is thirty days away. Twenty-nine shopping days. Four weeks. I made out today my schedule for the next two weeks. Next week is definitely a sixty-hour work week. The following week looks to be about the same. I may have a day off–my first sinceContinue reading “And So It Begins…”